Thoughtfully Ruthless®

An acquisition that will double the size of the company, growth rates that exceed every estimate, teams where everyone is in the biggest jobs of their lives, the board has just approved every innovation project presented to them and now it is time to execute flawlessly.

These are just some of the situations my clients are dealing with right now, and it is at these moments, when we are at what feels like peak capacity, that we have to take time to stop and take in our surroundings.

Last week I was hypnotized by a two hour, spectacular sunset. I had arrived in Seattle on Sunday ready for an executive retreat I was running at Amazon the next day. Before any client event I always allow extra time to acclimatize, empty my mind, and top up my energy levels. As I sat at the end of Pier 70, I could see the first apartment we lived in overlooking the Olympic Sculpture Park, the waterfront path I used to run (ok, slowly jog/walk!) many mornings, and the outline of Mount Rainier.

Another of my executive clients just told me he has returned to his favorite form of exercise after a manic few months managing an acquisition and moving his family across the country. When I asked him how he was he told me he was “excellent.”

With summer comes an added pressure of family reunions, kids summer schedules and the beach/pool/lake calling your name.

With everything you are juggling right now, don’t forget to be selfish, in a sensible way with what you need to re-energize yourself.

Then pay attention to your team – who is looking overwhelmed, exhausted, or with their nose barely above the water level of work demands? – Ask them what you can do to remove roadblocks, give them context, or reassurance that what they are prioritizing are the right things.

VAL WRIGHT
Consultant / Speaker / Author

Val is a recognized global leadership and innovation expert who is known as growth accelerator by top executives at Fortune 1000 companies including Microsoft, Amazon, LinkedIn, The Financial Times and PopCap Games.